Evening Brief: Thursday, March 10, 2016

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The Lead:

U.S. President Barack Obama, right to left, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, first lady Michelle Obama and Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau wave to the crowd on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 10, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

It’s been nearly 20 years since a Canadian prime minister was welcomed on an official visit to the United States and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful Washington morning for it. Obama and Trudeau extolled the unique bilateral relationship and indulged in a little neighbourly trash talk about the current whereabouts of the Stanley Cup (“My hometown of Chicago,” Obama chided). The two held a joint news conference in the Rose Garden, during which Obama announced that he’d accepted Trudeau’s invitation to address Parliament during a summer visit to Canada that will coincide with the next Three Amigos summit. And hockey-loving, French-speaking Secretary of State John Kerry was in fine form fêting Trudeau with a lunch at Foggy Bottom.

With the United Kingdom set to vote in a referendum on European Union membership in June, Canadian and British officials have discussed the implications of a Brexit on the Canada-EU trade deal’s implementation, Canada’s chief negotiator Steve Verheul told the international trade committee Thursday. Our BJ Siekierski has the details.

A trove of documents turned over to European news outlets is reported to list the names of at least half a dozen Canadians among thousands of foreigners who have joined the Islamic State terrorist group. CP’s Colin Perkel has that piece.

During his joint newser with Trudeau today, President Obama made U.S. headlines when he scoffed at the idea that he was to blame for the country’s charged political climate, the rise of Donald Trump and what he called the “crackup” of the Republican Party. Obama blamed Republican leaders who, he said, created an environment where “somebody like Donald Trump can thrive.” AP has that story.

“Germany’s interior minister has said stolen files detailing thousands of recruits to the Islamic State group can be assumed to be genuine,” reports the BBC. Thomas de Maiziere said the data could help with prosecutions of IS fighters. The files obtained by German and UK media contain names, addresses, phone numbers and skill sets of IS recruits from 50 countries.

The Stanley Cup, currently held by the Chicago Blackhawks, is displayed at the State Department in Washington, Thursday, March 10, 2016, during a luncheon reception hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry in honour of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Finally, this is us tastefully avoiding references to masculine agonistic competition rituals and Trumpish dominance claims — while noting the prominent display of the Stanley Cup at the State Department after a day of bilateral hockey-stick rattling.